Chadwick triple-threat athletes learn time management

by
Arianna Menzelos - 2015-03-19

﻿At Chadwick, students constantly struggle to stay afloat. Most of us feel as if we are drowning; our schedules are completely packed, and we don’t get enough sleep. Yet there are some students who decide to play as many as three different sports in the same year...even though the requirement is only two. So why take on the added burden?

Sophomore Allison Westley wants a break from her schoolwork. Junior David Figel knows that he wouldn’t be active if he wasn’t playing a sport.

Senior Elizabeth Haile just really enjoys it.

Westley chooses to play three sports because she enjoys the activity and the social aspect of the teams. Still, she works a lot on time management.

“Usually on the weekends, I look ahead at my week and try to get ahead,” Westley said. “By the time I start my homework on a weeknight, it is usually pretty late.

“What I normally do is I focus on one subject, take a little break, focus really hard on another subject, and take a little break. That usually helps me to get through it all effectively, but everything still takes a long time. I am usually working until at least midnight.”

Westley struggles with the sacrifices she has to make in order to play three sports.

“We all know what it is like to play a sport at Chadwick: It is fun, but it can also be very time-consuming.

“I play three sports because I love exercising and spending time with friends, but I have had to deal with the work time I lose by sacrificing sleep. But that is a sacrifice I am willing to take because I feel as though the benefits outweigh the costs,” she said.

Figel feels pressure from his parents to play three sports each year, but he understands his parents’ reasoning and realizes that these sports help him maximize his time rather than waste it.

“My parents make me [play three sports],” Figel says. “They are such a huge time commitment. But my parents do know and I completely agree that if I didn’t play a third sport during that time after school, I wouldn’t do anything athletic on my own. I think if I didn’t do a sport, I would waste an equal amount of time on Netflix or on social media.”

Figel also struggles with commitment to his teams. He believes that since he has played these sports for three years, he is almost obligated to play them as a senior. He encourages others to feel like they have the right to try out new sports and not feel too tied to sports that they don’t enjoy.

“I’m kind of questioning whether I want to try new sports or figure out something else to do outside of school, but I feel like I have a sense of commitment now that I’ve gone through the sports for three years,” he says.

“As for advice, I think it’s worth trying any sport. But if you don’t enjoy the sport and you aren’t necessarily adding very much to the team, I think its OK if you drop it.”

Haile highlights the benefits of playing three sports. She values the social aspect of the teams and the unlikely friendships she has made.

“I think the athletic program here is one of the best ways to meet people,” Haile says.

“I really enjoy getting to know the younger students now. Even though it’s my senior year and I don’t necessarily have to play three sports, I want to because I get to know a lot of people that I wouldn’t otherwise.”

Haile also believes that athletics are the reason for her being able to focus on her schoolwork.

Unlike many students who blame their history readings at 2 a.m. on a basketball game in Pasadena, Haile considers her participation and commitment to sports an aid to her overall efficiency.

“I’ve noticed that playing sports helps me be more efficient with my time because when I’m not playing sports, I tend to assume I have a lot of time...which I then waste on social media,” she says.

“So when I’m playing sports, I understand that I am more limited for time, and I tend to be more effective with my time.

“Also, being active and having those two hours of fun socializing helps me when I get down to my homework. I can focus a lot more.”